COLUMBUS, Ohio — Saturday was the first Gallery Hop return to the Short North since Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther declared safety restrictions in the popular community.
Residents and business owners express mixed feelings about the city’s continued measures.
Some residents say things are back to normal, but one business owner expressed that the continued parking restrictions are killing the local economy.
Shawn Shahnazi, owner of Santos, formerly known as “Chophouse 614,” said his customers are getting their cars towed and many aren’t showing up at all due to the confusion surrounding curfews, parking and safety.
“Since the restriction started three weeks ago, to be honest, the business is down over 60%. The uncertainty is just literally killing the business,” said Shahnazi.
He is begging the city to eliminate the parking restrictions, which he said are causing confusion among customers.
There is still no parking permitted on the northbound side of High Street between Goodale Street and Fifth Avenue past 10 p.m., but the southbound side is now open.
"I have four people that quit because they're uncertain. Are they gonna have a job a month from now if this thing continues? How are they going to pay their bills next month?” Shahnazi shared. “This is extremely urgent this week for livelihood. I have 35 employees. This is their livelihood. This is my livelihood. This is my $20 million investment. And I'm not the only one”
Shahnazi said he will be meeting with City Attorney Zach Klein next week to come up with solutions. He wants the city to assure residents that the Short North is safe and to drop the parking restrictions instead of increasing policing after midnight.
Meanwhile, some artists out for Gallery Hop said they feel like the community is returning back to normal.
“People are resilient... so we can't let one incident shut us down and say, 'I'm not doing this anymore,'” said Katanya Brewer, a singing performing artist.
“I think you can even see from the streets like people still want to be here. People still want to be out. They want to support small business, they want to support local artists,” said Meredith Watson, a local artisan.